Woodside is investigating a corrosion issue identified in planned inspections during a scheduled shutdown at Karratha Gas Plant, Western Australia.
A company spokesperson said in a statement that it has discussed with the regulator and are taking all necessary measures to ensure the ongoing safety of its people and operations.
The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) director of dangerous good and petroleum safety Steve Emery said it is aware of potential corrosion concerns at the Karratha Gas Plant and is in contact with the site operator.
“The company advised the department that during routine maintenance as part of a scheduled shutdown, corrosion was found on some of the plant’s components,” he said.
“Given Woodside discovered the corrosion during a routine shut down and there was no loss of containment, the company was not formally required to report the matter to DMIRS.”
Woodside are currently investigating the nature and extent of the corrosion, with the department not having plans to take any action at this time.
The Karratha LNG plant in Western Australia, 1260km north of Perth, is one of the largest in the country, producing around 12 million tons of LNG a year for the Japanese and South Korean markets and also supplying 65 per cent of the gas required by the Western Australian domestic market.
The plant, which is operated by Woodside for the North West Shelf Venture (NWSV), has four trains which were opened between 1989 and 2004 and there are two 130km trunk lines to carry the gas to the shore.
The plant receives gas from several well known fields including Goodwyn, Waneae, Rankin, North Lambert, Hermes and Cossack and also tiebacks from Echo-Yodel and Perseus.
The NWSV includes: Woodside Energy Ltd. (16.67 per cent) (operator), BHP (16.67 per cent), BP (16.67 per cent), Chevron (16.67 per cent), Japan Australia LNG (16.67 per cent) and Shell (16.67 per cent).
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